Springfield sales tax check rises above budget, prior year

The city’s January sales tax check from the state again comes in ahead of budget.

The city of Springfield’s January sales tax check from the Missouri Department of Revenue reflected a higher total than forecasted. It also bested the prior year figure.

The check for January came in at $4.2 million. It represents sales processed by the state in December from transactions made largely in November. City officials were expecting a $4.1 million check, meaning the actual total was 4 percent above budget. This month’s check beat January 2017 by 5 percent, according to a news release.

The city’s December and January sales tax checks came in ahead of projections after three months of missing the mark. November’s check was 7 percent below budget, October was 9 percent less than expected, and September also was 7 percent lower than city officials had tabbed.

For the fiscal year that started July 1, 2017, sales tax revenue from the state through January is $26.4 million. That’s roughly 1 percent less than city officials projected through the first seven months of fiscal 2018, according to the release.

Springfield uses the sales tax checks from the Department of Revenue on services such as the Police and Fire departments. Roughly 56 percent of the city’s general fund comes from sales and use taxes.